Always
by LOSTrocker
Summary: Dawson finally proposes to Tilly. Joe/OFC. See notes inside.


**A/N: **We're going to pretend that Dawson is alive and The Source never happened. I need to work on this whole denial thing I guess but either way this takes place early on in the show time line that fits into my stories featuring Tilly because Richie is still alive as well. I was in dire need of some WAFF and had this is my head for awhile. It needed to get out. Tilly/Dawson, as always. One-shot.

**Always: **

By: LOSTrocker

It was well into the AM when Tilly's phone rang off with a blues ring tone. She didn't have to look at the screen to see who it was. Tilly reached through the dark to only find it on the nightstand on her side. She slid it open. There was always that beat, that second where she feared the worst for Dawson. Tilly knew that at one point there would come a time when she'd get the call, but thankfully, it wasn't tonight.

"Hey babe,"

"Joe," she greeted with a smile as she sat up. With her free hand she turned on the light.

"Sorry to wake ya," apologizes came from his end.

"No need. I told you, you can call me whenever." Tilly reminded him.

"I hate to ask, I know ya worked yer ass off lately but…"

The Watcher didn't have to finish. "Give me ten minutes. I'll be over, and hey, Dawson…"

"Yeah."

"I love you."

"You too."

Tilly always made sure to tell him those three words before they had to hung up just in case she never got to say that to him again. She found it funny because it wasn't too long ago when she had the most difficult time saying it. Now, they slipped off her tongue so easily, it was like a song she'd come to remember.

Tills tossed away the covers, pushed herself out of bed only to slip on a pair blue jeans, throw on a black tee, slip into some black slip ons. She tied her blonde hair back out of her face as she made her way towards the front door. She put on Joe's coat and grabbed her purse before she took her leave. Tilly locked the door behind her as she made her way to Le Blues Bar.

"Joe!" Tilly called out when she entered.

Tilly went to try again until she noticed that the joint was vacant. He'd only call her to pull a shift it was busy. This didn't feel right. Out of habit, she retrieved her gun that was hidden away in her confinements of her bag.

"Dawson!" Tilly called out.

The bar was cleaned up, lit by the candles that were on the tables. It gave off a nice, romantic atmosphere but given the fact that Joe wasn't answering her right away as he usual did had the hairs of the back of her neck on end. The last time she felt like this, she almost lost him. She'd be damned if she let that happen again.

"C'mon, Joe!"

Then she saw the center table. There was a card marked with her name on it. She was hesitant, slowly easing her way towards it with her weapon ready. "Al'right, I'll bite." she said. Tilly made herself comfortable in the seat that was made available to her. However, she placed the hand me down pistol within reach.

It was only a few minutes before she heard the strum of a familiar guitar. She grinned at the sight of Dawson. He appeared on stage. He was singing his favorite song which eventually became their song. She helped him turn Stand By Me from a solo to a duet when the last verse came up and by this time he'd closed the gap between him and her.

…_**So darling, darlingStand by me, oh stand by meOh stand now, stand by me, stand by meWhenever you're in trouble won't you stand by meOh stand by me, oh won't you stand now, standStand by me… **_

Tilly chuckled. "Ya rascal you."

Dawson laughed along because her laughter was contagious. "I hope I didn't startle ya."

She hit him playfully on the arm for that one. "Only gave me a heart attach, give a girl a warnin' uh?"

"Ruin the surprise?" he asked. "Never."

"What is this all 'bout Joe?"

Dawson took a breath. She gave him a question, he was just hoping that he was ready to give her the answer. The answer came in form of another question. One, that he was pretty sure he was ready to ask her. All though, to be honest, he's never recalled a time when he was more nervous than he was right now. This was coming from a guy who has done his tour in Nam, became a Watcher, and managed to stay alive all the while. He's faced countless attacks. He felt as though his heart was going to burst out of his chest.

"Look, I can't git down on one knee or anything, but that swon't stop me from asking ya something I should have a long time ago." Dawson removed something from his coat pocket. It was a band of silver Celtic knots that came to capture a sapphire at its center.

Needless to say, Tilly was taken aback. She gasped, covered her mouth with her hands as tears filled her eyes. The punch line of all this was that she swore that she'd never come to this. Then again, she didn't see Dawson coming. That was all thanks to Richie and now, they were here at this moment that would tie into a future together. All she had to do was to agree to it.

"I…" There was some hesitation because there was doubt, more on her than him. "I don't understand. Why me?" As far as she experienced, the men in her life jetted along time ago leaving her very little hope for the opposite sex. It was actually her best friend: Richie who restored that faith in men. Of course, Mac, Methos, and mostly Dawson was to gain even more trust. He was able to tear down the walls she'd built up over the years only to fall completely in love with him.

"Isn't it obvious?" Dawson replied. He didn't have to spell it out to her. He loved her. He never hesitated to tell her. "I love ya Tilly," he confessed yet again. "From the very first day we met, I knew." Joe brought his hand up to his heart. "I understand that it hasn't been easy, the world that I live in is far from sunshine and rainbows, and if ya want to call it quits. Walk 'way now. Then I-"

Screw sunshine and rainbows.

Tilly pushed herself out of the chair to have her lips brush against his in a sweet tender kiss to remind him, no matter what the danger, the risk of them was always worth it.

When The Watcher parted from her, he let his forehead rest against her temple. "I'm gonna take that as a yes."

"What do ya think?" she joked.

Joe took the ring so he could place it on her ring finger.

**END. **


End file.
